Alien King
by sarahandmarquis
Summary: Carly is a homeless orphan girl, wandering the streets and eking out a living in the slums of Austin, Texas. Jareth is the King of the Labyrinth, one of two principalities on a far away planet. This is the story of what happens when he crash-lands on Earth. INCOMPLETE. Jareth/OC. Extremely AU.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

Dear Readers,

Before y'all kill me for not updating Dying Breath and King of the Merfolk, I'm working on those. Trust me. Just, give me some time. I've been going through some things lately and haven't really be able to work with them. But, I'm trying. So, bear with me!

This is a story I've co-authored with a friend of mine (her username is carlysullivan9). We've written the entire thing and are just editing the final touches. Don't worry, I'll actually keep up on this one! But, please enjoy this extremely AU Labyrinth fanfic.

sarahandmarquis

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Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN JARETH OR THE MOVIE LABYRINTH. My friend and I just own this idea. This very cool idea for those of you with doubts!

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"I knew I should have gotten fuel before I left." Jareth muttered as he crawled, almost completely unscratched, from the wreckage of his small ship. It laid in a self-made hole in the middle of some kind of park, locked in the dark of night with only one full moon shining dangerously close to the surface.

"Where am I...?" He brushed off his clothes off and turned around in circles, trying to place the planet on which he found himself stranded, communication devices smashed in the landing. Returning his gaze to the ship, he used his elegant calf-high boot to kick at a twisted bit of metal before groaning.

"At least a month's work. At least." Groaning frustratedly, he tossed a crystal at his ship, forming a protective seal around it as well as concealing it from those with harmful intentions. With his battered black cloak fluttering behind him, he set off down a path. "If I am fortunate, the life on this planet shall be intelligent."

Once away from the shelter of the trees and bushes of the park, a cold wind howled through the empty streets running through a rundown section of town. Jareth tugged his cloak tighter around him, warding off the cold of the planet and muttered under his breath, "What some people will call home."

As he hurried down the path, he saw a girl approaching him, her well-worn cloak wrapped tightly around her. An inhabitant! By her appearance, one resembling himself, he eliminated all but four of the planets in the solar neighborhood. Once she had walked within a few yards of him, he addressed her in his native tongue, commonly used as a trade language among the planets.

The girl, a pretty redhead with blue eyes, eyed his suspiciously and muttered something under her breath before taking a step back from him.

"Come again?" She asked, brushing a lock of hair from her face and revealing smudge marks over her cheeks and forehead with a dab on her chin. Bags hung under her eyes and her nose was crooked, having broken and healed wrong at some point in her life.

"Forgive me, Miss. I merely wished to inquire where I am." He shifted his language into perfect English, pleased with limiting his new 'home' down to two possible options. Running a hand through his untamed mullet, he smiled at her, revealing slightly crooked teeth. She responded with a half-smile and shrugged.

"Downtown Austin." She answered. "You new around here or somethin'?"

"You could say that." He replied after a short pause. His lessons in geography had been exceptionally thorough but, now he regretted forgetting details that didn't apply to his home planet. "Where might...Austin be?"

The girl scrunched her eyebrows and shifted from one foot to another.

"...In Texas." She replied slowly as if she was speaking to a toddler. "Yeah, you definitely ain't from 'round here."

"A state in America..." He muttered to himself, bits and pieces of his education surfacing from the depths of his mind. "Earth! Excellent."

"No!" She stated sarcastically. "We're on Jupiter."

"Jupiter cannot support life. I've been there. Nothing to build a civilization on." Frowning, he ran his hand through his hair again, mind running the possibilities and problems facing him. His realm had never bothered to contact Earth after a few attempts previously that had ended up with them praised as everything from aliens to gods but, there was a slim possibility that he could make sufficient contact to fix his ship. Perhaps even this girl, whoever she might be could help him.

"Forgive me, I have failed to introduce myself. I am Jareth Mirren." He swept a bow to her and gave her a kind smile despite her odd expression proving to him that she considered him beyond crazy.

"Carlisa. My friends call me Carly. If I had any friends..." She mumbled the last bit to herself but his keen ears caught them carried on the wind.

"Miss Carlisa, it is a pleasure to meet you. Do you know a place I could stay the night? A hotel perhaps? Your planet is dreadfully cold right now and I doubt anything will be able to be solved before morning."

"Carly." She corrected him softly while hugging herself around her middle, several torn places on the shoulders of her shirt widening and revealings bits of skin, ravaged by the cold and wind. "The nearest hotel is two blocks down on the right. Can't miss it and the rooms are cheap."

"Excellent." He turned to leave but stopped and looked back at her. Her clothing bore the signs of a long time without repair. Tears had been patched and repatched; the wind tugged at the fraying edges; and the thickest part of her shirt was held together by strings.. "Forgive me, if I am being rude. But, do you have a coat? You look like you're freezing."

"I'm fine." She replied quickly as she tugged her thin coat, covered in patches, tighter around her. Shooing him with a wave of her hand, she said, "Go on now. Get."

Though more than willing to find the warm hotel she had recommended, he refused to leave this helpful girl to freeze out in the cold of her own world. Pausing in place, he created a crystal in his hands and tossed it to her, the shining ball of magic changing into a light but warm coat mid-arc before it landed in her hands.

"Good night, Miss Carlisa." He bowed to her, his blue-streaked blond hair falling in front of his mismatched eyes, and continued down the path, intent on finding the hotel she had recommended.

"Carly." She said once more to his disappearing form before she looked down at the beautiful garment. With a sigh, she slid it on and buttoned it up. "I have no idea how he did it, but he ain't gettin' it back." She said to herself as she began walking down the street, looking for a place to spend the night herself.

Turning into the park, she glanced over the benches, the idea of sleeping on the cold iron miserable, but, there wasn't anything else to sleep on. Resigning herself to her fate, she curled up on the most sheltered bench and happened to look up.

A small ship lay in the middle of a burned hole in the park. About the size of a small house, the ship appeared to have crashed.

"Well lookie here." She said, leaving the cold bench and approaching the ship. "I have slept in worse spots." She mumbled as she walked up to the craft and climbed inside, glancing around the futuristic interior. "It's actually kinda nice though. The wind is blocked and it's still warm." She said before finding a nice corner and curling up in a tight ball and drifting off to sleep.

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At dawn, Carly woke immediately from her slumber at the sound of footsteps.

"So sorry." She mumbled her apology quickly and scrambled to her feet. Without realizing who it was before her, she climbed out of the craft and began to walk away, refusing to look back. That was embarrassing.

"Wait!" The familiar voice from last night called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to face him before he continued, confusion in his mismatched blue eyes overshadowed, now she noticed in the light, reverse arched eyebrows. "How did you get in? I put a protection shield around it. No one was supposed to be able to get through."

"What do you mean?" She asked as she began to walk back up to him. "It ain't protected or anythin'. I just climbed right on in."

"Look." He gestured with a wave of his hand towards the ship and a soft, oscillating sphere of glass became visible around it. "My protection shields never fail. I want to know how you got in." She raised her hands in defense, eyeing the odd sphere out of one eye.

"Look, Hun. I don't know how I got through your 'shield'. I'm sorry that I did." She lowered her hands. "It won't happen again."

"It's not a problem. Just be careful in future not to touch any buttons. She may have crash landed but some are still functional." I would prefer not to completely destroy a city on my first visit.

"Okay." She said with a nod. "I'll be going then."

"Wait!" He called, hesitating a moment as an idea sprang suddenly into his mind. For a month, he would be stranded without means of communication with his kingdom. Having an aide would prove invaluable. After all, she seems bright enough and appreciates hygiene. "I have a proposition for you. I think it will benefit us both."

"And what might that be?" She asked as she stuffed her hands in her pockets and eyed him suspiciously.

"I need an assistant while I am here on earth. This ship must be fixed and fixed soon if I am to return home and I can only do so much with these." He waved a crystal around across his hands. "If you can help me about the city, you may sleep here and I shall provide more acceptable accommodations within. Is this acceptable?"

Carly thought for a moment before shrugging. Why not help the nut-job?

"I've got nothing better to do." She replied.

"Excellent." He smiled once more. "Now, come with me. I haven't had time to assess the damage and that must be done before someone finds us." He remarked, crawling under a piece of fallen debres into the ship's control room. Once inside, he began to examine various control panels, covered with little black, unlabeled buttons..

"If you're hungry, there should be something in the cupboards in the kitchen." He pointed towards the tail of the ship. "Just through that door. Be careful though, when opening them. Who knows what state they are in after the crash."

She nodded before walking from the control room into the kitchen.

"Why do you have to be so tall." She whispered to herself as she stood on her toes to open the cabinet. She pulled out a few items and turned them over, examining the oddly colored things in matching square containers. "Well, as long as it doesn't kill me." She shrugged as she opened a container and walked back into the control room, snacking on the chunks of some kind of meat.

"It shouldn't." He remarked. "I generally don't try to poison myself and I don't believe humans are at risk. Though, if you start to feel ill, do not hesitate to let me know." Pausing his inspection, he pulled a pad of paper and pen from one of the drawers and began to scribble down the parts required for replacement.

She nodded and continued to snack, leaning back against an inner wall.

"Whatever this is, I love it." She looked up at him sharply, "But so help me if you say I'm eating brains or something."

"You're not." He chuckled. "Do you know of a good mechanic that can be trusted to keep a secret? I would prefer my presence to be kept among the fewest people possible." He peered over the edge of the note pad, pausing his writing, watching her close the container and nod.

"I know a guy." She said as she pushed herself off the wall. "He'll keeps his mouth shut. He owes me a favor anyway."

"Sounds perfect. Do you think it's late enough to speak with him now? I understand that humans like to sleep late." Carly glanced up and judged the time from the sun shining through a gaping hole in the roof where one of the panels had fallen.

"Yeah, he should be up by now. Come on." She said with a movement of her head and crawled out of the opening, leaving the container of food on the nearest flat surface. After carefully tucking away his notebook and disposing of the abandoned food, Jareth followed her out the ship.

"Wait a moment." He created another crystal and tossed it at the injure ship. Moments later, it shimmered and disappeared from sight, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the park. The action earned him a suspicious glance from Carly.

"How are you able to do that?"

"It's called magic, Miss Carlisa. If you wish, I can explain it to you over lunch after we speak with the mechanic?" Jareth offered, aware he would have to trust her with a great deal of knowledge for her to ever be useful to him. If she fails to be worthy, I'll be gone before her betrayal could do any damage.

"Carly." She corrected him quietly. "I don't believe in that sorta stuff, but alright." She said as she began to lead him down the street to the mechanic.

"Humans haven't changed a bit, I see." He remarked, following the girl down the street. "Still hanging on to the poorly informed logic. I would have thought in the past two millennia, something might have changed."

"Forgive me, but you're human yourself, ya know." Carly remarked as she glanced up at him while walking. Jareth stopped in his tracks and spun to face her, mismatched blue eyes flaming with offense.

"I am not human." He snapped, scowling at her. "I am a humanoid, as you refer to those who resemble you, but not a human." He frowned once more at her and continued raised her hands in defense and shook her head, not challenging him.

"Whatever you say."

He nodded sharply, still scowling.

"How close are we to the mechanic's shop?"

"Just another block." Carly said as she pointed to the sign that read 'Grant's Mechanics.' Jareth nodded and the pair continued down the busy streets to the doorway, only drawing small amounts of attention from the those around them. As they entered the pungent-smelling shop, the little bell rang and a gruff sort of man in oily overalls and sleeveless gray shirt turned to face them from behind the counter covered in greasy dust.

"What's up, Grant?" Carly asked with a smile on her lips. "Busy day?" The man gave a small grunt and wiped his hands on a dirty oil rag.

"Nothin' I can't handle." Jareth allowed that moment's conversation between the two before injecting himself.

"Good morning. I was wondering if you would be willing to repair a shuttle of sorts for me."

"Boss, I can fix anythin' and everythin'." Grant said with a nod of his head.

"He's the best there is." Carly said in agreement.

"Wonderful. And, if supplied with enough money, can you keep it completely secret?"

"Ask the little lady beside you." Grant said as he pointed with a black-caked fingernail towards Carly. "She knows I can keep a secret."

"I shall accept her word for it as she did tell me earlier." Jareth removed the notebook and tore out the piece of paper containing the list of repairs. "I'm afraid most of these will require parts you do not have but I will pay for ordering them."

Grant took the list and examined it closely.

"I'll have to order in nearly all of this list, but I do have a few pieces on hand now."'

"And how long will it take?" Jareth asked, leaning on the counter. Grant shrugged before making a few quick notes on the paper and doing a quick arithmetic problem.

"Close to a month." He spoke as he handed the paper to him.

"That's what I thought." He ran some brief calculations in his head and nodded. "I can stay around for that long. It might be tricky, but I can. I would like to order those you do not currently have on hand. Find those you have and, this afternoon, we will come back for them."

"I'll get to work right now, Bossman." He said as he walked over to his computer to order the pieces, waving goodbye to them from the swivel stool.

"Excellent. Miss Carlisa, shall we go to lunch?" Jareth turned away from the mechanic and gave her a kind smile.

"Carly. Let's go." She spoke as she grabbed his arm and waved her free hand at Grant. "See ya later!" He returned the wave as the pair left the shop and paused in the shade of the overhang, a bustling city living its life in the speeding cars and people rushing hither and yon before them, talking and texting without paying any attention to those around them.

"Where shall we eat? I'm not familiar with your fare."

"Do you like chicken?" Carly asked as she released his arm.

"Yes, I believe I do. I had it once, a long time ago."

"Good. Because there is a Wendy's right across the street. And they have the best chicken nuggets." Carly said as she pointed to a corner shop with patrons continually coming and going.

"Sounds delicious." He said, despite having not the slightest idea what the restaurant she named was.

"Let's get a move on then, Bowie." She said as she looked both ways on the busy street before yanking him into the middle of traffic and zig-zagged him through the zipping cars. When they reached the other side, she continued, "You do look a lot like him. Y'all could pass as brothers."

"Who is 'Bowie'?" Jareth asked, attempting to catch his breath from the dash across the busy street. "Is he someone you know?"

"He's a singer." She said with a smile, appearing amused at his attempts to gasp for breath. "I wish I knew him personally."

"Is he a good singer?" He asked while they walked the short distance down the busy street into the busy little restaurant.

"He's amazing." Carly said as she glanced at him and found a place for them at the end of the quickly moving line. "You would like him."

"Perhaps while we are here, we will see him." He offered, hoping to cheer her up with the offer. The man obviously meant a lot to her. "I should like to meet the person who looks just like me."

She giggled softly.

"That would be funny." When they reached the front of the line, she looked up at him and asked, "What would you like?"

After glancing through the menu he then turned to her.

"What would you suggest?"

"Chicken nuggets are my favorite thing to get."

"Then chicken nuggets it shall be." He decided and glanced around while he waited for her to give their order to the exhausted and unobservant cashier. While he didn't give Jareth a second glance, several people in the line to order mumbled under their breath, questioning his chosen attire and hairstyle. Apparently, high-heeled boots, skin-tight pants, and a leather jacket with a frilled white undershirt were not part of the latest styles of Earth. Such a pity.

Once Carly finished ordering, she looked up towards Jareth.

"I hope you're payin'."

"But, of course." He declared and reached into a hidden pocket in his leather jacket. Creating a small crystal that would remain unseen by the employee, he made the exact payment required and handed the bills and coins over to the cashier, who looked up long enough to give him a sideways glance before ignoring him again.

"Thank ya." She smiled. "I'll wait for the food. You go get us a seat."

"Of course." He left the counter and found a small table for two tucked into a corner, under a hanging fake plant. Several minutes later, an employee called Carly's name and handed her the tray. She carefully walked over to the table, mindful of the drinks. "I got you tea. You should like it."

"Ah, thank you." He said as he took the tea and glanced at the nuggets and fries. "An interesting looking meal to be sure." Taking a bite of one, he nodded. "Very good."

"Glad you like it." She smiled as she dug into her own meal.

Peeling off his gloves, he began to eat his meal before he took a sip of the tea and nodding approvingly. "Very sweet. I like it."

"It's my favorite drink." She smiled as she took a sip of her own. "I would drink it everyday if I could."

"Why don't you?" He asked after taking another sip and nibbling on a fry.

"'Cause I'm homeless and don't have a penny to my name."

"I suppose I should have guessed considering you choose to sleep in an alien ship instead of returning to your home, wherever that might have been." Jareth remarked and she shrugged in response.

"It ain't that bad. As long as it ain't cold at night, I sleep pretty well."

"But, I can't imagine it's very safe." Jareth chided, aware that the streets on any city on any planet weren't safe at night including the Goblin city itself.

"No. It's nowhere near safe, but it's all I got."

"You'll be perfectly safe within the ship. No one with ill intentions can enter the barrarior. You may sleep easy." He assured her.

"Thanks, Mr. Mirren." She replied with a smirk, mocking him.

"You're welcome, Miss Carlisa." He copied her, instantly spreading a frown over her face.

"It's Carly." She groaned. "Just five little letters. Two syllables."

"You said, when we met, that Carly was the name for your friends. Am I to that point?"

"I give up!" She said over dramatically and dropped her head down to the table, mumbling, "You win."

"Eat, Miss Carlisa. Perhaps in time we may call each 'friend'. I have a month here after all." Her gestures prompted pleasant laughter from him and she couldn't resist the urge to laugh with him.

"Very well, Mr. Mirren." She said as she finished eating, stuffing the used napkins and containers into one for ease of disposal.

"Tell me about yourself." He said, curious about this young woman who would be sharing a place inside his space ship for the duration of his sojourn. After inhaling his last chicken nugget, he continued to verbally explain his reasons, "I know practically nothing about you and we're going to be together for a while."

"What's there to know?" She asked as she sipped on her drink, waiting for him to finish his french fries. "I have no friends and I'm homeless."

"Oh, surely there must be something interesting about you. I don't believe you're completely boring." Jareth insisted, glancing up at him and studying her face.

"Sorry to disappoint then." She shrugged, breaking his gaze to stare down at the table and her cup of sweet tea. "What you see is what you get."

"I've seen worse."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." She said, standing up and throwing her trash away in the bin next to their seats. Quickly downing the last several french fries, Jareth followed suit, keeping only his ice tea because he hadn't finished it yet.

"As it was intended."

"Then, I thank you very much." Smiling, she looked up at him then the clock behind him. "We should probably go."

"Probably. We'll pick up the parts and hopefully begin repairs. I can't hang around here forever." He remarked before leading them from the restaurant, careful to only cross the busy roads when the signals allowed them to, refusing to 'enjoy' that 'pleasure' of being dragged across the road again. His over-cautiousness amused his helper but he ignored it as they made their way through the busy streets back towards the mechanic's shop. As they entered the shop, Carly called into the back,

"Found all the parts back there in storage?" Appearing from behind the screeching metal doors, Grant grunted and nodded, heaving a box onto the counter.

"Yep. Here ya go. Be careful, it's heavy." Flipping open the flaps, Jareth skimmed the parts and nodded approvingly at the contents. Some will require repurposing but I can manage that easily enough.

"Thank you. How much do I owe you for these?"

"Just $50."

Sticking his hand into his jacket pocket, Jareth created a crystal and turned it into the exact amount of cash required by the mechanic.

"Here you are. We'll be back tomorrow to check on the ordered parts."

"See ya then, Bossman." Grant nodded his head in Jareth's direction before stuffing the cash away in a overall pocket and disappearing back into the back of the building.

"To the ship?" Carly asked as they left the shop, the box tucked under Jareth's arm.

"Yes. And, I'll need an extra pair of hands to help out. If you're willing?"

"What else do I live for?" She retorted with a small laugh.

"Yourself, I would hope." He commented, taking her hand in his free hand and leading them back down the streets to the city park. Pleased to find it empty at the moment, he revealed the ship as they approached.

"I was trying to make a joke, Mr. Mirren."

"And, I succeeded in ruining it." He smirked at her, shooting her a wink before climbing into the ship and setting the box down on one of the tables still upright. Rolling her eyes, she climbed in after him.

"Indeed you did." He smirked once more before laying out the different pieces and looking each over over carefully. Sorting them into several piles based on their uses and the amount of repurposing required, he called her to stand beside him.

"Alright, Bossman, give me a job to do." Carly said with her hands on her hips, joining him at the table and staring down at the pieces, unable to make heads or tails of his plans.

"Go to that closet and get the tool chest." He ordered. She nodded and opened the door, jumping back as boxes and random supplies tumbled down, freed from their retrains by the crash. She pushed everything out of her way and dragged out the large tool chest, pulling it to sit beside him.

After a nod of thanks to her, he opened the chest and sorted through the various gadgets before selecting a couple of them.

"Follow me." He grabbed one of the new parts, ready to be installed, and headed to the nose of the ship.

"Aye Sir."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN JARETH OR THE MOVIE LABYRINTH. My friend and I just own this idea. This very cool idea for those of you with doubts!

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As the sun slowly set behind the horizon, Jareth tossed his final tool back into the chest and rolled his sleeves back down, brushing the dirt and grease off his hands.

"A well done job. Thank you, Miss Carlisa." He said to his helper, an exhausted redhead, as he crawled back into the ship and returned the tools to their closet.

"Carly." She corrected him as she wiped the sweat from her brow and pulled her hair up into a messy bun, following him into the ship. "No problem."

"Are you hungry?" Jareth asked as he stepped over to the sink and tapped the faucet, water instantly gushing out. Lathering his hands with a clear soap, he washed them, the grease and dirt disappearing down the hole. Rolling up her sleeves, Carly asked,

"You a good cook?"

"Good enough to feed myself on occasion. Someone has to cook when the castle chef is having another litter and I don't trust anyone else." Jareth remarked as he dried his hands and began pulling odds and ends out of the cupboards, frowning at the lack of variety.

"Castle." Carly repeated incredulously as she washed her hands. "Don't tell me you're a prince or something."

"A king, if we wish to be exact." He casually said as he tossed his cloak towards a wall and it hung there, suspended in mid-air on nothing visible. "I have been for have a while now."

"King of what?" She hesitated to ask as she looked at the cloak. "What are you?" She whispered in amazement as she walked around the floating object.

"An interesting use of pronouns there. I notice I am a 'what' not a 'who'." He smirked, pausing in his creation of their meal and watching her inspect his little bit of simple magic. "I could tell you all of my titles but I suppose they wouldn't mean much to you. So, allow me to compare myself to something you might be familiar with. Have you ever heard of a Fae or an elf?"

She nodded softly. "Yes."

"What you called elves or Faes and adopted into your mythology were us. Your people turned us into gods and goddesses and we gave up contacting you on an equal level and establishing trade and communication. We left you to your own devices and have been planning another visit." He tossed a few things into a bowl and began stirring.

"How is this possible?" She whispered to herself as she leaned against the wall. Covering her eyes with her hand she spoke, "Just yesterday, you didn't exist. Now..."

"To your knowledge. We've existed as long as your race has." He corrected, pulling out some canned meat and a pan from the cupboard. After opening the can and dumping the contents into the pan, he poured the paste from bowl into the pan and added some water before leaving the meal to simmer on the stove.

"Boy, I am so uneducated." Carly mumbled as she slid down to the floor. "Or am I just imagining it all?"

"You're not imagining it all. And neither are you uneducated. None of your world know the truth." He knelt down before the confused girl. "Here. You look cold." He grabbed his cloak from hanging in the air and tucked it around her, carefully covering her in the cloth to keep her warm. "Shock does horrible things to the human body...Or so I've heard."

Carly huddled the cloak around her, burrowing herself into the material.

"Shock ain't the word for it, Hun. Multiple that by a hundred and you might come close to what I'm feelin'."

"Perhaps I shouldn't have sprung it on you so quickly. Here." He created a crystal and changed it into a hot cup of punch. "Drink this. It'll keep you warm until you've recovered." He handed her the cup and returned to the meal, beginning to boil more than he liked. After eying his creation for a second, she nodded softly and sipped on the drink.

"It's okay."

"Is it safe to assume you don't believe I'm some insane person now?" He asked, turning down the heat and returning to her side. He sat down beside her and gently rubbed her free hand comfortingly.

"No. You're not insane." She said as she glanced up at him. "And neither am I."

"Yep. We're both completely sane."

"And you're royalty, while I'm an orphan living on the streets." Carly said as she continued to sip on the punch, finding the taste very delicious.

"Well, we're both living 'on the streets' right now as neither of us have a home here." He pointed out, releasing her hand.

"True." She said as she looked over at him and a giggle suddenly escaped her. "I'm the Queen of the streets. So you must obey my every command." He laughed and lightly slapped her shoulder.

"As you wish, my lady." His blue eyes, the left one marred by an enlarged pupil, twinkled, earning a wide smile from Carly.

"My first decree, shall be that I will be able to keep this cloak. It's very comfortable and warm." She said as she snuggled into it, nearly disappearing.

"Aw! Such a pity, and it was my favorite." He teased before creating a crystal and tossing it into the air. The orb flew upward and a cloak, a exact copy of the one he'd lost, drifted downward..

"Well now it's mine." She laughed, still amazed at his magic but she choose to believe it instead of doubting her own sanity. "And I hope you made that copy for yourself, because there is no way you're getting this one back."

"Oh yes, this one is mine. Some king I would be if I didn't have a cloak. Appearances must be kept up. Besides, this city of yours is cold." He wrapped the cloak around himself and dramatically shuddered to drive home the point.

"Appearances are everything." She agreed, smiling at his antics.

"They are. In any world." Carly nodded before looking up to the pot, smoke drifting up from beneath the lid, carrying a strong smell with it.

"I'm not the best cook, but I do believe whatever you have cooking is burning." Gasping in surprise, Jareth jumped to his feet and pulled it off the stove, sniffing for a moment before shrugging. He set it back on the burner and turned it off.

"It's edible, if you're hungry." He remarked, pulling a couple bowls from the cupboard.

"I'm hungry all the time. Looks fine to me."

"Please don't judge Labyrintine cooking all by this." He walked over to a wall and, pressing a hidden button in the wall, released a two-person table. After spreading it out and locking the legs, he pulled up a couple chairs and spread napkins and silverware over the tabletop.

"Labyrintine." Carly repeated slowly, testing out the word on her tongue and knitting her dark eyebrows curiously as she did so. "Is it better than Wendy's?"

"Depends on the one making it." He said with a chuckle before gesturing for her to sit down at the table. "The Labyrinth has a wide variety of dishes ingrained in our culture, this is merely one of them. One of the easier ones."

"So your mom's cooking is better?"

"She never cooked a day in her life." He replied simply, unable to imagine his mother, the queen, standing over a stove. If she ever knew I cooked, she would never forgive me. "Not a single meal. She was a little old-fashioned in that way."

"Mom made the best potato soup in the world." Carly said softly as she remembered the taste, texture, and smell of the meal

"Did she make it often?" He asked as he dished out the meat and poured something similar to gravy over the creation.

"Whenever I would ask for it."

"She sounds like a good sort of mother." A strong contrast to mine, Jareth thought, keeping those remarks inside him.

"She was one of the best." Carly spoke with the tiniest of smiles upon her lips.

"What happened to her?" He inquired gently, curious about the lost mother who had left a daughter to live alone on the streets.

"She was making the soup for me one afternoon. I called her outside for a moment to look at something, I can't remember what. The pot caught fire, the curtains came next, and so on. Mom ran back inside to grab something. Something of Dad's from when they were dating." A lone tear trailed down her face and she looked down to wipe it away.. "Next thing I know I'm being blown back by the explosion."

Jareth reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I can't remember much after that." She said with a shake of her head. "The rest is just too blurry."

"A sort of blessing."

"Probably so."

"What happened to your father? Was he there?"

"He was killed in a car accident when I was young. It was just my mother and I, all on our own." She refused to meet his eyes but returned his hand squeeze after a moment.

"And, no family to take you in..." He gave her a kindly smile and released her hand. "You managed well, all things considered."

"Yeah, all things considered, I think I did pretty well."

"I know this is a rather personal question for a young lady, but might I ask how old you are?" She looks very young. Too young to be on her own.

"I just turned 19 a week ago."

"You are too young to be wandering the streets."

"Oh, well." She shrugged as she looked down at her food, a light brown soup poured over a slice of nondescript meat never seen on earth until that moment. "Where else am I to go?"

"An excellent point." He agreed as he watched her take another bite and chew slowly. "What do you think?"

"I like it." She smiled softly at him. "It's really good."

"I'm glad you do. Unless we intend to eat out every day, you'll probably be putting up with my cooking more often than not." He winked and took a bite himself, nodding as he chewed. "Not bad, not bad. Despite the near burning attempt."

"I don't mind your cooking." He answered her with a confident grin and dug deep into his meal, satisfied without a verbal response. After several moments of relative silence, a thought crossed Carly's mind and she spoke up, "How was your night at the hotel?"

"Not the most comfortable I've had in awhile but then again, one is never easy when one is hiding on a strange planet with no outside communication. But, it was a warm bed with clean accommodations and I appreciate your directing me too it."

"It was no problem. Your ship is pretty comfy and the jacket was warm." She smiled. "Thank you for that."

"I couldn't let my first human contact freeze, now could I?"

"I suppose not." She laughed.

"And, you are making yourself useful so I'm glad I was able to help. Did it fit alright? I had to guess your size and shape on the spur of a moment."

"It fits perfectly." She said as she looked down at the jacket. "It's the nicest thing I've ever owned."

"I did do well with it, didn't I." He nodded.

"Don't get all full of yourself now!"

"I'm afraid you're many years too late, my dear. I already am." He winked at her once before finishing his meal and rising to take her also empty plate with him. Rolling her eyes, she passed him the dish.

"Figures." She rolled her eyes.

"Did you expect anything less?" He asked, taking the plates and disposing of them into the sink. He turned to face her and leaned against the counter.

"What could I expect? I mean, I've only known you for about twenty-four hours."

"An excellent point, Miss Carlisa." He remarked, pulling down two champagne flutes from one of the cabinets and filling them with something sparkling from the only non-broken bottles. "Would you care for some? I guarantee you it's non-alcoholic."

"Carly." She muttered under her breath. She looked at the glass and shrugged. "Sure. I'll try some."

"Here." He handed her a flute and settled backed into his chair. Taking the glass from him, she sat back in her chair."Thanks." She said as she raised her glass to her lips and took a sip, choking for a second as the carbonation hit her. Jareth jumped to help her but she waved him off, clearing her through and enjoying another sip. "I"m fine. Thanks though."

"You're welcome." He replied as he sat back down and leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment and sipping on his own flute. Taking this chance to relax from the long day, Carly continued to drink, quite taken with the fruity flavor. Jareth finished his drink in silence and then set it in the sink to join the other dishes from supper.

"Thank you for supper." Carly said with a smile as she followed him, dropping her glass beside his. "It was one of the best meals I've ever had."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, let's see to finding you a place to sleep." Smiling at her, he grabbed her hand and led her through a door just off from the kitchen. As the door swung inward, it revealed the bedroom chamber of the small ship. The chest of drawers lay on its side on the floor, clothing spilled everywhere. Pieces of a lamp were scattered around the turned over bedside table, but, miraculously the bed had made it out mostly unscathed. Tip-toeing around the mess, Jareth shook the blankets of the bed to remove any broken glass or dust particles before straightening them and fluffing the pair of pillows.

"This is your bed now." Jareth instructed, gesturing towards the king-sized mattress.

"I have no problem sleeping on the floor once we've cleaned up some of the glass." She said softly as she walked up beside him. "I've slept in worst spots."

"No, neither of us are sleeping on the floor. You may sleep here. I'll enjoy the couch in the living room very nicely." He declared, refused to allow a lady to take the less comfortable immediately shook her head.

"No, you take the bed. I'll take the couch."

"No, I will take the couch and you the bed." Jareth insisted, putting his hands on his lean hips. Copying him, Carly glared up at him and simply said,

"No."

"Yes." He purposefully towered over frowned and stood on her toes, though that didn't help in her part; he was still taller than her by at least a foot.

"No. And that's final."

"I am King in this ship, Miss Carlisa, and I have decided my verdict. You will sleep here."

"Carly." She corrected and then made a face behind his back. "Well, I'm Queen of the Streets and your ship is in my territory. I have decided my verdict. You will sleep there." She said as she nodded towards the bed.

"We could come to a truce and share the bed." A smirk hide at the corner of his mouth and a teasing glint sparkled in his eyes, aware that a decent woman would never agree to such a stalked up to him and poked a finger at his chest.

"We, my dear Mr. Mirren, are not married." She said with a smirk, "And I don't marry men I just met, let alone sleep in the same bed as them."

"Sleep well, my dear Miss Carlisa." He grinned and left the room, leaving her to made up her own mind while he settled into his new bed. The couch, made with only the finest stuffing his goblin subjects could provide, wasn't as comfortable as his bed but, after a long afternoon of repair work, felt wonderful. Just as he wrapped his cloak around himself, he heard her last correction for the day shouted from the bedroom.

"It's Carly!"

He chuckled quietly before falling asleep, leaving her with the final word for the evening.

.

.

Carly woke up the next morning and yawned, stretching a little as she sat up inside the spacious bed.

"So it wasn't a dream after all." She whispered as she gazed around the small room, curved on the outside wall to create the spherical shape of the ship. She climbed out of bed and began to rearrange the blankets and pillows back into their right places again.

From his place at the stove, Jareth heard her waking up and, leaving the meal to cook, knocked on the bedroom door.

"Miss Carlisa? Breakfast is ready."

"Carly. You didn't have to make me breakfast, Mr. Mirren. I usually go without it anyway." She said, opening the door and following him out into the kitchen.

"Willingly or unwillingly?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder from the stove.

"Unwillingly." Carly mumbled as she took her place at the table and looked down at her hands, folded in front of her. "But it's fine, really. I have to keep slim anyway."

"If you were any slimmer, you'd be dead. Eat." He set a full plate before her. "It's not a banquet but neither of us should work on empty stomach."

"Yes sir." She grumbled as she began to eat. Occasionally, she stopped and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, blearily blinking them to keep herself awake. Watching her attempts to remain in the world of the lucid, Jareth kept silent and ate his breakfast without pressing conversation. When Carly was nearly finished with her meal, she looked up at him, more awake.

"Can you tell me about your world?"

"What would you like to know?" He asked as he put their dishes into the sink that he had emptied before she had woken up.

"Anything that you'll tell me." She said as she looked up at him, tucking his cloak around her as the morning cool seeped through some of the missing plates in the ship's exterior.

"Underground, named after the founding family, is a large planet situated in the middle of globular cluster eight thousand light years away. It is inhabited by the races of Faes and goblins, names we have adopted from our human interaction. I am the King of the Labyrinth, one of the two principalities, where the goblins live."

"King of the goblins, in other words?" She suggested.

"Yes. They are unable to rule themselves so a Fae has always taken over guidance of the rapscallions." She nodded her head in understanding, willing accepting the strange idea that two entire races of living creatures existed and had yet to be discovered by humans.

"Once we get your ship fixed, we are going to get a TV installed and I'm making you watch The Labyrinth. I think your world just stole everything from that movie." She stated, smiling at the faint memories she had of watching the movie with her parents when she was younger.

"I beg to differ! Whatever movie this is, they stole it from us. We've been around since the dawn of time. Our oldest people remember their parents speaking of the creation of our world." Jareth declared, frowning at her. She quickly held up her hand in defence.

"I'll let you win." She paused. "For now."

"Would you like to see proof?"

"I would love to."

"Follow me." He beckoned for her to follow him into the control room, covered in panels and buttons. "Touch nothing." He reminded her, before sitting her into the swivel chair. "Stay."

He knelt down on the floor and created a crystal before rolling it into the floor. It settled into the middle of the room and from that center point, space, filled with tiny points of light, appeared, swallowing the floor until it reached the edges of the room.

"Woah." She breathed out as she gazed down at the sea of black, broken only by the stars and his boots resting on nothing. "It's beautiful."

"This is your world." He said as the view moved beneath them, accelerating then pausing to view a green and blue planet suspended by nothing with a single moon orbiting its surface.

"It's so big." Carly said softly. "I mean, I knew it was big, but not this big."

"Now, watch." They spun away from Earth and its sun and flew by the outer planets before driving into black space with tiny bits of light flying by them. After a moment, a glowing mass of billions of stars appeared before them, lighting up the entirety of the room like a searchlight.

"Is that your world?" She asked as she glanced at him.

"My world is inside." He said as they approached the glowing ball and entered it. "See that planet there?" He pointed at a dark dot, framed by a large star.

"It looks larger than Earth."

"It is nearly twice the size with half the population." He remarked with a chuckle.

"Wow." She said with a slight laugh. "How come your population is so small?"

"Goblins have short life spans and, while they reproduce at a rate similar to humans, the death rate keeps the numbers under control. And, we Fae don't have many children. A married couple might have three children over three thousand years, four if they are very lucky."

"Why is that?" She asked, her question mainly pointed towards the Faes.

"It's a physical constriction. Conception is difficult and must be carefully planned if a family is to have offspring." The viewing portal turned, circling the planet and drawing nearer to provide her with an excellent view of the place. She nodded her head, admiring the beauty of the place before her.

"I don't think my people think that way, but some might."

"Your people have to plan to not have a child. Humans breed likes rabbits, a child every ten months." He shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"It's nine months, Hun." Carly corrected him, grinning.

"I believe it takes one month for her to be able to have another child because of recovery from the original labor, meaning ten months between births." He carefully clarified his original intent.

"Can't you let me win an argument?" She groaned.

"You haven't been right yet." He countered, snapping his fingers. The view portal vanished, revealing the plain floor again. Carly stuck her tongue out at him and stood up.

"Come on. Let's get to work."

"A good idea." He declared. "I'll fetch the tool box."


End file.
